Dark Knight, The
| directed by = Christopher Nolan | written by = Jonathan Nolan Christopher Nolan David S. Goyer | produced by = Kevin De La Noy Benjamin Melniker Christopher Nolan Thomas Tull Michael E. Uslan | music by = James Newton Howard Hans Zimmer | cinematography = Wally Pfister | edited by = Lee Smith | distributed by = Warner Bros. Pictures Legendary Pictures | release date(s) = July 18th, 2008 | mpaa rating = | running time = 152 min. | country = | language = English | budget = $185,000,000 | gross revenue = $534,858,444 (US) $1,004,558,444 (Worldwide) | preceded by = Batman Begins (2005) | followed by = The Dark Knight Rises (2012) }} The Dark Knight is an American feature film in the superhero fantasy genre. It is the second installment in the Batman film series directed by Christopher Nolan and follows 2005's Batman Begins. It is succeeded by The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer based on characters originally developed by comic book writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane. It was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and released theatrically in the United States on July 18th, 2008. The film stars Christian Bale, reprising the role of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. Returning co-stars include Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The role of Rachel Dawes is now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who replaces Katie Holmes from Batman Begins. The featured villains for this film are The Joker, played by Heath Ledger and Two Face, played by Aaron Eckhart. Actor Cillian Murphy makes a brief appearance in the movie as well, reprising the role of the Scarecrow. The Dark Knight is notable for being the final film for actor Heath Ledger, who passed away on January 22nd, 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Plot Cast Production & Release * Production on The Dark Knight began on April 18th, 2007. Principal photography concluded on November 11th, 2007. As with Batman Begins, many of the Gotham City scenes were filmed in Chicago, Illinois. Cast & Crew * The Dark Knight is the final film for actor Heath Ledger, who passed away on January 22nd, 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. All of Ledger's scenes from the movie had already been filmed however. Another Ledger role is that of Tony from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which was filmed before The Dark Knight, but released in 2009. Ledger is also known for starring in such films as The Patriot, The Brothers Grimm and Brokeback Mountain. Notes & Trivia * This is the first Batman film to not include the word Batman in the title. The "Dark Knight" is but one of many honorifics attributed to the character. * One of the 34 films to be in the Billion-Dollar Film Club. Recommendations Burton/Schumacher series * Batman * Batman Returns * Batman Forever * Batman and Robin Nolan series * Batman Begins * The Dark Knight * The Dark Knight Rises See also * The Dark Knight * The Dark Knight images * The Dark Knight characters * The Dark Knight miscellaneous External Links * * * The Dark Knight at DCDP * The Dark Knight at Wikipedia * * * The Dark Knight at the Batman Wiki * The Dark Knight at the DC Movies Wiki References Keywords ---- Category:Films Category:2000s/Films Category:2008/Films Category:July, 2008/Films Category:Warner Bros. Category:Legendary Pictures Category:Sequels Category:2nd installments Category:Theatrically released films Category:Based on a comic Category:D/Films Category:Christopher Nolan/Director Category:Jonathan Nolan/Writer Category:Christopher Nolan/Writer Category:David S. Goyer/Writer Category:Kevin De La Noy/Executive producer Category:Jordan Goldberg/Executive producer Category:Benjamin Melniker/Executive producer Category:Christopher Nolan/Producer Category:Charles Roven/Producer Category:Lorne Orleans/Producer Category:Emma Thomas/Producer Category:Thomas Tull/Executive producer Category:Michael E. Uslan/Executive producer Category:James Newton Howard/Composer Category:Hans Zimmer/Composer Category:Wally Pfister/Cinematographer Category:Lee Smith/Editor Category:Peter Rnic/Actor Category:Jessie Graff/Stunt performer